bestfiction Chapter 308 The Guard Team
Chapter 308 The Guard Team
The cannon fired thirteen times in succession, and the shockwave shook the entire mountain. It was unknown whether the Water God Temple could withstand it.
While practicing "Little Toys" in such an unstable environment, Zhong Ming's mind wandered.
He had a hard time concentrating. Every time he had just perfectly completed a section of spirit runes, a cannon blast would blast his attention away, and wild ideas would constantly float into his mind, giving his palms a kind of "acupuncture massage".
After the cannon fire stopped, the scene ahead became chaotic and noisy. The transport team resumed their work, but this time there were far fewer people.
To be honest, Zhong Ming really wanted to peek out and take a look. It was his first time here, and he definitely wanted to know the entire artillery battalion's combat procedures as quickly as possible. However, he was certain that as soon as he showed his face, the maintenance team leader, whose skill level was unknown, would sneak up behind him again and punch him without him noticing.
"Hurry up, start working right now!" she shouted.
At least ten monks leaped out of the pit and, well-trained, went to different locations on the cannon to inspect its components.
She walked up to number 021.
"What is he doing?"
"I had him practice controlling the spirit runes."
"Is he a good-for-nothing? Can't he do anything?" she said without any hesitation, completely disregarding Zhong Ming standing beside her.
"No, he's good at maintaining spare parts, but... we don't have any spare parts to maintain."
"Then find him something else to do. Practicing spirit runes isn't the time to do this. Figure out the current situation, and even helping him move boxes would be better than what he's doing now!"
She rushed up to Zhong Ming and grabbed the cylinder. This violent action caused Zhong Ming to completely lose control of the spiritual power in the spirit pattern. His entire hand was instantly pierced by dozens of wooden needles, making him wince in pain.
"What kind of look is that?" This question stunned Zhong Ming. It was a look of pain. He tried to stand up, but she pressed down on his shoulder, rendering him immobile. "What do you want? You're not qualified to look at me properly. First, become the captain, and remember your place..."
"It's captain."
This wasn't said by her, nor by Zhong Ming.
They turned around and saw a messenger standing behind them.
"Commander Wang, what's the matter?"
"He's the captain now."
"Me...him? What? I was dismissed...promoted...wait, why is he the team leader?"
A hint of sadness flickered in the messenger's eyes as he struggled to suppress his emotions and said in a calm tone, "The 3rd Guard Unit of the 134th Battalion, except for you, is completely wiped out. According to wartime regulations, you are now the captain of the 3rd Guard Unit. As for the members... we will make arrangements for you as soon as possible."
Zhong Ming: ? ? ?
What?! I was just walking for a short while and everyone's gone? Liu Sandao and Captain Hong Wenchou are both gone?
He looked incredulous, even suspecting that the messenger in front of him was an imposter.
"Now, the battalion commander orders you to go to him immediately, to the central command tent, immediately!"
With a face full of doubt, Zhong Ming took a step forward and snatched the cylinder back from No. 01's hand.
"you!"
"Call me Captain Cuihong."
.....
When someone gets angry, they might actually start to laugh.
Hearing the laughter behind him, Zhong Ming quickened his pace and followed the messenger to the central command tent.
It's very close; it's just a few steps away.
The messenger suddenly stopped, stepped aside to let Zhong Ming pass through the gate, and then immediately took out his weapon to block the gate, ready for battle.
As Zhong Ming entered the tent, a cold gaze swept over him, and in an instant, his hair stood on end as he felt an overwhelming killing intent.
His spiritual energy circulated rapidly within his body, and he curled up slightly, lowering his posture. It looked like the normal reaction of an ordinary mortal in cold conditions, but in reality, he had already taken the Flowing Cloud Step, ready to defend against attacks at any moment.
"battalion commander?"
There was a figure standing with his back to him. He had thought about the grudge he had with the battalion commander's brother-in-law, but he never expected that the other party would choose this time to make a move. Could it be that he wanted to kill him and include him in the list of fallen guards?
The cold gaze vanished instantly, and the man turned around, revealing himself to be the battalion commander. He looked exhausted and seemed to have lost a lot of weight, his cheeks almost completely devoid of flesh.
"battalion commander?"
"I'm fine, just overused my divine sense," he said calmly, holding a cup in his hand. He took a sip, but there was no improvement. It was as if he had taken a weakened version of a berserker pill. He forced himself to muster his strength and said in as steady a voice as possible, "But... the guard team is in trouble."
"Battalion Commander, what happened?"
"I can tell you now where the old woman you found went; she's hidden inside Liu Sandao's body."
The battalion commander's body was somewhat hunched. Divine sense was an ability that could only be mastered by those in the Golden Core stage. Continuous use of it during the Foundation Establishment stage would put great pressure on the soul.
"She is... a parasite, I don't know exactly how to describe it, but she is a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and has considerable killing power."
After saying that, he reached out and threw a bloodstained waist tag into Zhong Ming's hand. "This is Hong Wenchou's captain's identity tag. It's yours now. You should thank him. If he hadn't appeared at the entrance of the Water God Temple in time, you would have ended up like Liu Sandao."
"Ah this..."
Zhong Ming was utterly shocked. He tossed the rather heavy waist token in his hand. These past few minutes felt like a dream.
"The Second and First Guards will take over the Third Guard's area of responsibility. Go and guard the Water God Temple. Go now."
The battalion commander waved wearily, signaling them to leave.
Zhong Ming walked out of the tent with a blank stare, like a puppet. The messenger outside immediately breathed a sigh of relief and put away his weapon.
He now knew why the number of people in the transport team had drastically decreased; they were now working as a stretcher bearer team... no, more like a corpse-collecting team.
They carried Hong Wenchou's body past without covering it with a white sheet. He was only half a body, his eyes wide open, as he was carried away from Zhong Ming's sight. His internal organs were exposed, but not a drop of blood flowed. His face was deathly pale.
Then there was Liu Sandao's mangled body. Yes, only mangled body can be described as such. His body had been completely hollowed out, leaving not even bones. It was as if he were just a human skin that had been cut open.
Then came more people,
Fourth Sister, that "stingy" girl who'd rather kiss him than pay for the drinks, the boastful drunkard, the loud, thin-faced man who's eager to become his godfather...
"Kid, I'm a veteran, so let me give you some advice. We were lucky this time. Next time something like this happens, call for backup immediately..." His words of advice inexplicably rang in Zhong Ming's ears, lingering around him and refusing to dissipate.
“This is war,” he murmured.